Time travel meets side scrolling in LIFTED by Adventure Works L.L.C. Originally names “Ari Vuktu and the Anytime Elevator”, Lifted is finally coming out with its full release on the Steam store. You may have spotted our preview of the original demo which was full of positivity but does the full game live up to the hype?
Up up and away! LIFTED finally reaches the Steam store.
Gameplay
Imagine Back to the Future but instead of the DeLorean you get have a magical elevator that takes you and your professor to different time periods. That is, essentially, what LIFTED. Ari, the slacker, just wants extra credit so he can pass his classes. Unfortunately for him, Professor Raventhorpe has other plans and needs help with his love life.
The controls themselves are exactly what you would expect from a side scrolling game. They’re really easy to get to grips with, and it’s even easier with the cute little tutorial that goes along with it. LIFTED also makes platforming so much smoother. There’s no suffering or frustration as you climb mountains and swing vines. One of the more simple mechanics is just pressing in the direction Ari needs to climb to move a bit faster. It’s something so simple yet really enhances the gameplay. It never feels like the game is trying to do too much.
LIFTED truly excels in the ways that it pokes fun at other games where there’s constantly a sidekick. Hearing Raventhorpe say that he just so happened to find a quick way around after Ari had to scale a mountain, almost die on some thorns and fall a fair distance really did make me laugh. The voice acting between Joe Gaudet and Ray O’Hare really brings the characters to life in such a fun way. The chemistry between the two characters never feels forced or disjointed. The comedy really adds a nice vibe to the game and makes the story so much easier to digest.
Graphics & Audio
LIFTED’s art style is one of the best I’ve seen in a while. It’s so simplistic and cutesy at times but can still impress players with wider location shots. Every location has its own distinct style. It’s really obvious that the devs put a lot of time and effort into creating this game. The same can be said for the music score. There isn’t a single moment where anything feels out of place. Everything just works in perfect harmony with each other.
Longevity
Depending on how much you have to search for collectibles and struggle with puzzles LIFTED’s run time is sat nicely between 3.5-5 hours. In all honesty, that feels like the perfect length for the game. Nothing ever feels rushed and, similarly, nothing ever feels like a drag either. In this shorter game run-time, Adventure Works manages to create a wonderful little story that’s captivating and fun to play through. Don’t let the length of the game put you off as you’ll be missing out on a really fun 2.5d adventure that feels like a breath of fresh air in a world full of simulators and MOBAs.
Final Thoughts
If the overuse of perfect didn’t give it away, I have to give LIFTED the Thumb Culture Platinum Award. This game really is just a nice break from other games that are coming out at the moment. After seeing how highly Stu rated the demo I was a little apprehensive, but I can fully agree that this game definitely deserves to be added to everyone’s Steam library.
Disclaimer: A code was received in order to write this review.
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